ґMajor music and film festival in Latvia to see Russian presence
The International Music&Film Festival headed by prominent Serbian director Emir Kusturica is set to kick off in Latvia on July 11. Its extensive program includes Russian film screenings, a rock concert and meetings with prominent directors.
According to the organizers, they wanted to step aside from festival organization rules and focus on strengthening cultural ties between Russia, Europe and America. This year Music&Film Festival will pass for the second time and for the second time it will turn Riga and Jurmala into centers of modern culture.
The organizers are going to transform the cities suitably for their plans. Big screens displaying the best musicals will be installed right in the streets of Riga and Jurmala. Apart from that the festival week will see many cultural events and flash-mobs in the streets with the participation of artists and musicians and students of theatrical universities.
Over the festival week, guests will see performances from international music stage celebrities. Opening the musical program will be the French team Nouvelle Vague famous for their bossa nova covers of world famous hits. Spanish singer-songwriter Tonino Carotone will pick up the baton. The next to perform will be one of the most loved Russian rock bands Mumiy Troll with their electrifying sound and truly charismatic front man Ilya Lagutenko. World-renowned master of duduk Jivan Gasparyan with an orchestra from Armenia will present the program of some authentic music a day after. On the eve of the festival week the president of Music&Film, Emir Kusturica, together with his The No Smoking Orchestra band will step on stage. And crowning the series of these diverse shows will be"Carmen", a joint work from a Spanish film director and a photographer, Carlos Saura and legendary Antonio Gades Ballet.
This year the festival introduces a new section for movies - Ecology of the Soul. This program will feature a series of the best Russian films of the year.
The festival program will also feature retrospective screenings of works by Emir Kusturica and Carlos Saura, meetings with prominent directors, an international competition of short debut films and student works from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Serbia and the Czech Republic, and much more.
The festival will be in Latvia`s Riga and Jurmala from July 11 through to July 17.
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